


Always

by Barbedbeat



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-29 22:00:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16273214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barbedbeat/pseuds/Barbedbeat
Summary: Short fic I wrote for my dearest Fangmich. Savour those Aloth feels!





	Always

he White Anemone has roused awake at the scream of its bell, a Principi ambush marking the beginning of a new day.  
Aloth had grabbed his grimoire, following Len out on the bridge.  
The first cannon shots rumbled in his chest, drowning his casting lilt.  
Bullets buzzed past his ears as his fingers crackled with lightning, and the enemy deck cracked under the force of his spell.  
“Belfetto, Aloth!” He turned to see the Watcher skid by his side, her braids neat and pristine, her smile bright even in the face of battle.  
He watched as she flicked through her spellbook’s pages, stopping only to poke him in the ribs.  
“Now let’s put some fire on those dirty heads, ac? At my three, fireball! One…”  
Aloth felt his lips curl upwards as he took in her features, lulled by the sound of her voice.  
“Two…”  
And look how graceful she was, tracing her runes in the air, and how cute that little frown of focus…  
“Three!”

When a huge Aumaua pirate came leaping towards him, he didn’t see it.   
A jolt of pain shot through his skull and, before he had a chance to say “ow,” he found himself slipping behind a veil of darkness.

* * *

  
Magic.  
It was magic of the most powerful kind Aloth had ever witnessed, and it was her, Len, who’d woven it.  
There was no other explanation.  
He felt his heart flutter as her eyes met his, her cheeks sporting those dimples they always did when she looked at him.  
He was, he admitted, utterly bewitched.  
“I thought there was something between us,” he heard her say.  
He struggled to clamp his mouth shut, yet it disobeyed him.  
“I nearly forgot how much you loved a good joke… even at my expenses.”  
He blinked as she simpered, wiggling a finger in the air.  
“I mean it, Aloth.”  
A spark of queasiness tugged at the cords of his soul as his next words slipped out of his throat.  
“Forgive me, but you’ve caught me quite off-guard. It’s been five years, Len. We’ve both been through a lot, you and I, and… So much time has passed, and I’m not sure…” He stopped abruptly, baring his teeth in anger.  
“No, no, no, you damned nitwit, shut your mouth!”

He felt her hand on his as he poured his heart out to her, the guilt and anguish that had been plaguing him since the beginning of his mission starting to wane under her touch.  
He saw her dance in the galley, swirling with poise on the notes of her sailor’s song, and heard her chuckle as she pulled him close, dragging him into a spin.  
He swallowed, anxiety darkening his features as she saw her kneel before that expanse of Adra, her gaze glassy as her soul communed with Eothas, an untold suffering etched in her features.  
“You were right. We’ve been through a lot, you and I.”  
He watched as she sat close to him, white sand under their feet, the glimmering waves of Neketaka’s gulf stretching all the way to the horizon.  
“And yet, we’ve always soldiered on, ac? Each and every time.” Her tone was as cheerful as ever, but he could feel the exhaustion behind it.  
“Together,” she concluded. “You and I, always.”  
I love you, he thought.  
“Always,” he repeated instead, a warm shiver trickling down his spine.  
It was true: he loved her.  
Yet, he had refused her.  
He winced, a scorching wave of regret wrenching his guts.  
“No, no,  _no_ , you dim-witted imbecile!”  
He heard himself snarl, his muscles tensing with rage.  
“You absolute, ham fisted foo–”  
  
“Gellarde! You’re awake!!”  
Aloth fell silent.  
His trance had slipped away, plunging him back into the present, a hard bunk under his back, a throbbing headache behind his brow.  
“L… Len?” He whispered, raising a hand as if to touch her.  
“Yes, it’s me! Aloth, dear, are you OK? Madicco, don’t you recognize me?!”  
He blinked, searching her, trying to stop her form from panning at the edges of his vision.  
“I… I do, I just…” He groaned.  
“I think I received quite a nasty blow to the head an–”  
The smallest of gasps left his chest as her arms closed around him, squeezing him tight.  
“You bazzo, Aloth! I was worried sick…”  
He felt her body quiver as a relieved sigh shook her from head to toe.  
“Oh no– I’m so sorry Len, I didn’t mean to scare yo– hmf!”  
His words drowned in his throat as she pressed her lips against his, and her fingers tugged at his clothes, pulling him closer and closer still.  
  
He froze for a second, unsure how to react.  
Then, slowly, he placed his palm between her wingbones and pushed her towards him, returning her kiss.  
He could feel his body stiffen, longing and tension battling for dominance over his racing heart.  
Was it a dream? If so, he never wanted to wake up.  
He closed his eyelids, savouring the moment, his fingers brushing the back of Ielenia’s head with a tenderness he’d never shown before.  
When she pulled away, he was trembling.  
He sucked a breath between his teeth, his eyes big and wide.  
“That was… unexpected!”  
He winced at the sound of his own voice, and felt something stirring at the back of his mind.  
_Fye, yer hopeless, laddie._  
“But not unwelcome!!” He quickly added.   
Without realizing it, he’d melted into a smile, a blush climbing its way up to his eartips.  
Seconds passed, his features darkening with unwanted realization.  
“You know, I’d never thought…” He paused, frowning pensively.  
“I am not used to… to this. I am a solitary man, and I’ve been used to hiding for so long– my name, my identity, my Awakening. What I mean is…”  
He sighed, spine drooping under the weight of his confession.  
“I’m not sure I know any other w–”

Her fingers pinched his mouth closed, and her chuckle tickled his ears.  
“Do you think I don’t know?” She shook her head, her tone playful yet exasperated.  
“I don’t want to take your privacy away from you, Aloth. I love you for who you are, and I just want us to spend our time together– however long that might be.”  
Aloth’s hands wrapped around her, and they were shaking.  
“Thank you, Len. I do like the sound of that”.  
Then, with a sudden jerk, he put his mouth close to her neck and squeezed his eyes shut.  
“I love you, Len,” he murmured.  
“I love you.”


End file.
